ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's lacrosse team never trailed and turned in a complete performance en route to its first win of the 2020 season on Wednesday night, as the Soaring Eagles dispatched Alfred State by a 12-1 final score.

The Soaring Eagles (1-2) outshot the Pioneers (0-1) by a wide 41-to-22 margin while finishing with a 55-to-39 lead in ground balls and a 9-to-7 advantage in faceoff wins. All of those figures, including EC's 12 goals and five assists, marked single-game season-highs for the Purple and Gold.

After breaking a scoreless draw with a man-up goal, the first tally of the night for Sam Crary '23, the Soaring Eagles put up five unanswered in a span of 6:12 to end the first quarter. Elmira led 6-0 in the second quarter before AJ Soto spoiled the shutout bid at the 4:55 mark. In the second half combined, Jacob Mattice '21 and the EC defense held the Pioneers off of the scoreboard, while the Soaring Eagles poured in three more goals in the third quarter and two in the fourth.

Four different players found the back of the net for EC, all of whom finished with multiple goals. Sam Shaw '22 potted a season- and team-high four goals to lead the way, while Crary and John Broyles '20 each logged a hat trick. James Mayer '20 finished with two goals and one assist, and fellow senior David Keisler '20 posted a multi-point outing of his own with two assists.

Mattice and fourth-year long-stick middie Cam Brickey '20 rounded out Wednesday's point-getters with one assist apiece. In goal, Mattice made nine saves, and he received excellent support from close defenseman Austin Spiridilozzi '20, who totaled nine ground balls and seven caused turnovers.

In Their Own Words…
Head coach Brendan Gorman on Elmira's first victory of the 2020 spring campaign…
"Getting the first win of the season is always a good feeling. We always talk about focusing on development and execution, and don't worry about wins and losses, but in the back of your mind, you always want to get some W's. The boys played hard and improved on some of the things we asked them to, so I'm proud of them and happy that we got the win with so many guys contributing."

News and Notes

• Elmira improved to 1-2 on the year, while Alfred State fell to 0-1.
• EC scored a season-high 12 goals and allowed a season-low one against the Pioneers.
• As a team, Elmira posted season-highs in nearly every category, including ground balls (55), shots (41), shots on goal (21), caused turnovers (20), and faceoff wins (9).
• The lone goal surrendered by the Soaring Eagles marks the fewest allowed in a game in over 30 years.
• Shaw's four goals are a season-high for the second-year attackman.
• Broyles' three points and three goals both represent single-game career-highs for the senior.
• Mayer recorded season highs in points (3), goals (2), and faceoff wins (6).
• Seven caused turnovers are a new career-best for Spiridilozzi, while his nine ground balls fell one shy of his personal record.
• Aidan Burns '22 and Spencer MacLean '20 both made their season debuts against Alfred State.

Up Next
Elmira's season-long four-game homestand continues on Saturday, March 7, when the Soaring Eagles host SUNY Cobleskill on the turf at nearby Notre Dame High School at 1:00 p.m.